Denver installs barricades at Holly Square to curb gangs in Park Hill

A car drives by a barricade at the intersection of 33rd Avenue and Hudson Street on Friday, Aug/ 8, 2014 in Denver. (Kent Nishimura, The Denver Post)

Barricades placed in the middle of an intersection known for high gang activity were seen as crime prevention by Denver police but came as a surprise to residents in Park Hill.

The city of Denver put concrete barricades at the intersection of East 33rd Avenue and Hudson Street, the main entry to Holly Square from the west side. But residents say they had no idea the 3½-foot wall was coming when it was installed at the end of June.

Denver police and local activist Jeff Fard, from Brother Jeff's Cultural Center, say the barricades are to prevent drive-by shootings and have acknowledged that a community outreach step was missed before the blockade was installed.

But a month after the barricades were placed, Fard and the police are praising the success.

Jeff Fard poses for a portrait at the intersection of 33rd Avenue and Hudson Street on Aug. 8 in Denver. (Kent Nishimura, The Denver Post)

"Now I can say empirically, five weeks out, we have had no shootings in the 5500 block of East 33rd Avenue, no arrests for drug dealing," said Denver Police Cmdr. Mike Calo, who leads District 2 in northeast Denver.

The shops at the southern part of Holly Square long have been a hot spot for gang activity and a popular corner for members of the Bloods street gang. But recently, the square has also been populated with children at the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center, the Pauline Robinson Library and, since late last year, the $5 million Vickers Boys and Girls Club.

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"There's a high concentration of vulnerable individuals," Fard said. "If there is a drive-by, there's a higher probability of hitting an unintended target."

Since the start of 2009, there were 24 reports of shots fired either in the square or in the surrounding blocks, with 13 people shot during that time and five more shot at. No one has been killed in the square since at least 2008.

"We believe and anticipate that there are many shootings that are not reported," Calo said.

When the barricades appeared June 30, Calo heard from many in the community who were upset about the blockade and wondered why. After presenting the reasons at a community meeting later that week, some understood, but many remained upset the community wasn't consulted.

But the barricades remain a sore subject to many in the area, with some saying it is "degrading and belittling to the neighborhood" and others feeling they are ugly, despite an art component that was added by artist Darrell Anderson.

The Rev. Leon Kelly, an anti-gang activist in the area, said he understands the reasons for the barricade but worries it will push crime further into the neighborhood.

"Unfortunately, we're dealing with a much bigger problem," Kelly said. "We're putting a bandage on a big wound, and the wound is still hemorrhaging around it."

Rodney Jackson, a former gang member who now works with some of the youth associated with gangs, acknowledged that crime is down in the square but said the barricades are not the reason.

He believes the community has come together recently, and residents don't want the barricades to stay.

"It's a great experiment," Jackson said, "but no, I don't think they should stay there."

Calo referred to the blockade as part of a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design concept that alters the layout of an area to prevent criminal activity. The concept has been used around the world in places such as London, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Miami and locally in Aurora.

The idea of the blockade stemmed from an April meeting between stakeholders in the neighborhood, including representatives from the Boys and Girls Club, Public Works, the Gang Reduction Initiative Denver (GRID), Calo and Fard.

Options were explored to keep the square safe after the square's most recent shooting in March and comments from the Boys and Girls Club that summer enrollment was low.

Fard started the program Safe Summer, Safe Holly earlier this year with the goal of keeping the area safe for 90 days while kids were out of school.

The initiative has had several events this summer, including a car show and Saturday's job fair and August Fest event at the Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center.

One of the ideas floated at the April meeting was to block 33rd Avenue at Hudson to prevent rival gangs from speeding through and spraying bullets at gang members on the corner and also help prevent easy access for drug deals and weapons exchanges.

Public Works was in possession of concrete barricades and installed them. GRID director Paul Callanan said there was a sense of urgency to do something prior to the July 4 weekend.

"We regret that there was not a more open communication about what the barrier was going to be," Callanan said. "It was put there for a purpose and was put there after a meeting of key stakeholders in the area."

A petition to take down the barricades was circulated by community member Brenda Rodriguez, but at a meeting led by members of the Holly Area Redevelopment Project (HARP), the community voted to keep them for 90 days (through the end of September) to judge the effectiveness.

"I circulated the petition because the community was dissatisfied with the process, and I wanted to get input for alternatives that were equally safe," Rodriguez said.

After Xcel Energy installed new lighting on the block Wednesday — which Calo said has been planned since January — another HARP meeting was held that night. Taking out the barricades by the end of August was among the discussions. There is another community meeting Monday.

Fard said some inconvenience for the residents is acceptable in his eyes if the barricades keep children safe. He also said it's a conversation piece that forces community members to get involved and discuss the issues.

"Those barricades say there is a problem in the community," Fard said. "For 20 years you can't hide from this anymore. What those barricades have done is brought the community together. Either for or against, now they are forced to address the issue."

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